On a recent stroll through the Mission, we caught Lisa Davidson Wissink's "Knuts 4 Knots" show (sadly, only through the window on the shop's closed day). Selected for display at the much-loved Curiosity Shoppe, Wissink's knots were developed, identified, and styled as art objects/boards, highlighting the complexity, beauty, and useful, historical practice of knot tying:
The boards (Giant Knot Board #1 and Giant Knot Board #2) are priced at $650, but you can also find the Sea Knob (an intriguing "one-of-a-kind contraption for making your own rope") for $550 and an illustrated Knot Tying Kit for $10.
The show is no longer up on display, but for more information on Lisa Davidson Wissink and her knot tutorials/pictorials, visit the Curiosity Shoppe's gallery online.
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Uh, the metal thing in the bottom left is a horse bit, not a nautical application.
Sailors and have been making these for years, I think even Boy and Girl Scouts make these. Google "knot boards" and look at the images for more attractive executions of the idea. $650 is crazy.
The price is crazy. Especially when you can find versions of these boards at places like Homegoods! Not that they are of the best quality, but they certainly don't cost $650.